2007 Detroit Auto Show - Purdy's Best, Worst and Most
Surprising!

2007 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
By Steve Purdy
Photos By Joe Chagnon
TheAutoChannel.com
Detroit Bureau

The one hundredth anniversary of the Detroit auto show - more formally
known as the North American International Auto Show - was celebrated
modestly during unusually mild early January weather here in the Motor
City. The lack of emphasis on the show’s tradition reflects the
subdued tone of the show. There were some exciting moments, some thrilling
new products and a few over-the-top concepts. The operative word here is a
‘few.’ We continue to see a trend toward practicality guiding
this, the most important motor show in the US.

For example, about five years ago GM made a big deal of their all-new
display area featuring two levels, huge press conference area and
money-is-no-object stands. They spent many, many millions of dollars on the
project. This year we have an entirely new GM display area again. But they
wisely spent a fraction of what they spent last time while maintaining
enough drama and aesthetic appeal to impress the crowds. I think that was
smart move and one of the reasons GM is getting out of the hole
they’ve been in. The money is going into product, where it needs to
be. The new press conference stage and structure worked well and
didn’t distract from announcements. And their announcements were
encouraging.

Ford, on the other hand, has farther to go. Less pyrotechnics and
smaller staging characterized their presentations in the old hockey arena
attached to Cobo Center. The likeable young Bill Ford and his staff
introduced some badly needed new products, but some were conspicuously less
than what will be needed to get out of their hole.

Chrysler provided some top-notch entertainment and presented some of the
most creative concept cars, as usual but they didn’t drop trucks from
the rafters, drive through picture windows or put vehicles on a 30-foot
catapult as they have done in the past. Over reaction by the security folks
to an apparent threat made attending their press conferences feel
particularly inhospitable though.

A large percentage of the new products shown and many of the concepts
represent bread-and-butter cars and crossovers. Ford’s 500 is
freshened, restyled and given more power. Chevy’s Malibu is
completely redefined, Dodge Avenger was introduced to compliment its
sibling Chrysler Sebring. Honda Accord’s sleek future replacement was
previewed. Cadillac’s phenomenally successful CTS has been thoroughly
freshened. Nissan’s Rogue, a small Sentra-based crossover, was
revealed to appreciative crowds of journalists. Mitsubishi Lancer and Ford
Focus were shown along with Chrysler and Dodge minivans and Toyota pickups.
Everywhere we look practicality permeates the 2007 show.

Don’t get me wrong, there was exuberance at the show, as well.
Chrysler set the tone with an African drum group whipping the press
audience into a frenzy to punctuate the concept and performance cars being
introduced. There was no shortage of cars costing over a hundred grand or
cars that approach 200-mph top speed. Horsepower numbers ranging up to 400
and beyond are no longer so rare. Convertible hard-tops, a few full race
cars and plenty of tire-screechers contribute to the color and variety of
the show.

After four days of cruising the floor, talking to the experts and
attending press conferences, here are my picks for highlights of the
show:

BEST OF SHOW

Chevy Volt – Not only is it reasonably cool to look
at but Volt also represents what could be the first step of the next great
path of automotive innovation. Volt is an electric car with an on-board
generator to feed the batteries. The generator, in this case, is powered by
a little 3-cylinder gasoline engine, E85 compatible of course, but could
easily be supplanted with a diesel, fuel cell or any other power source. A
motorist with a 40-mile-per-day commute may not need to burn any fuel at
all from the 12-gallon tank since he can plug into his regular home outlet
each day. With a 60-mile commute he could might get 150 mpg. On a sustained
drive the mileage may go all the way down to about 50 mpg. Why didn’t
they do this before? We’re still counting on a major advancement in
battery technology. That’s a complex story and one we’ll tell
another time.

MOST LUST INSPIRING SPORTS CAR

Dodge Viper SRT-10 – The wild-eyed
folks at Dodge Street and Racing Technology shop have added another 100
horsepower to the already raucous Viper SRT-10. Now it’ll go zero to
60 in 3.9 seconds - zero to 100 and back to zero in less than 12 seconds.
The one at the show is red and looks ready to leap out of its moorings. The
only thing that could trigger more adrenalin would be a space shuttle
launch.

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED

Smart Fortwo - The stubby little Smart Fortwo
will be seen on US roads in about another year. I’ll go way out on my
predictive limb here and say that this will be the greatest fad in the car
industry since the Beetle. Roger Penske, former race driver and business
man extraordinaire, will be importing and distributing the little city car
made by a division of Mercedes. It’s sturdy, economical, and cuter
than a new puppy, but it ain’t cheap. Urban youngsters with deep
pockets will be lining up – guaranteed.

SEXIEST CAR AT THE SHOW

Jaguar C-XF - This was a good year for sports
cars with fresh exotic concept and production sports cars from Audi,
Toyota, Mercedes, Acura, Mazda, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia. The sexiest is the
concept from Jaguar called C-XF - destined to be the new S-Type sedan, we
hear. Sleek and sexy, the C-XF has four doors but little hint of a
sedan’s personality. You’ll never feel stodgy in this one.

BEST NEW CONCEPT CAR

Ford Interceptor – Lengthened Mustang
underpinnings form the base upon which Ford designed what will probably be
the next full-size sedan from the troubled Dearborn auto maker –
bold, confident and distinctly American. Runner-up has to be the Lincoln
MKR concept car on the same platform. The Lincoln has a particularly
well-executed and sophisticated level of bling.

BEST NEW PAINT COLOR

Special Edition Volkswagen GTI Fahrenheit - They
call it Fahrenheit Orange. I call it “Butterscotch Pudding”
because that’s exactly the color. The GTI, by the way, is near the
top of my list of fun-to-drive cars, affordable sporty cars.

MOST ANACHRONISTIC

The Chinese company Chengfeng brought a half dozen
cars including a mid-sized crossover sport-utility that, from 20 feet away,
looks like it belongs with all the other crossovers at the show.
Don’t look too closely though. But their little concept car, a boxy,
angular affair with a single wheel front and rear and a wheel on each side
for a diamond-shaped footprint, looked like something right out of 1972. It
was awful.

MOST ASTUTE

The Chrysler/Dodge Minivans – These minivans are
redesigned with amazing cleverness, competence and a tad more aesthetic
appeal. Most of the other manufacturers are getting out of this market
segment. So these Chrysler Group minivans, that now have 40% of this
1-million-unit market segment, will have and even bigger position. The
minivan is still the most space-efficient layout of any vehicle. This new
minivan will go a long way toward mitigating the disrespect for these
efficient people haulers. And this will go down as a singularly astute
business decision by DCX.

MOST IMPROVED

Chevrolet Malibu - The old Chevy Malibu was a small, boxy,
uninspired design that was competent and cheap. No pizzazz. No panache. The
new Malibu shares a platform and other ingredients with the award-winning
Saturn Aura. It’s bigger, much better dressed, and ready for prime
time. I love that two-tone interior. Here’s another feather in the
cap of GM.

BEST TRENDY NEW FEATURELet’s make it best new features - plural.
There were two that stand out. Many concept cars and a surprising number of
new production cars use ambient or indirect, lighting, often with a colored
neon sort of look. This will be more than a fad, I’ll bet. The other
new feature is the styling trend of decorative, and often functional,
fender vents. In fact our friends at AutoWeek will be having a contest next
week wherein winners will have to recognize and name the magazine’s
50 examples of fender vents photographed on the floor Thursday.

MOST OSTENTATIOUS

Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe – Look at the
details on this one - brushed stainless steel hood and windshield frame,
polished wood top boot, a 453-hp BMW V12 engine, coach (rear-hinged) doors,
soft leather and a soft top with cashmere lining. Figure on 350-grand and
up, but don’t dawdle. They’ll make only 100 of them.

MOST MEMORABLE

Holden Efijy - This dark purple reiteration of an early
50s Holden fastback coupe portrays the image of a wild custom car with a
Southern California attitude. Holden, you probably know is GM’s
Australian unit. Underneath it’s a Corvette. The styling details are
amazing, although it reminds me more of a Mercury custom rather than
anything GM.

Toyota hosted a nice party for a few hundred of
their favorite journalists to introduce two sports car concepts. In doing
so they indulged in the most exaggerated semantic exercise I’ve heard
this year. They wanted us to know these are “suitable and appropriate
sports cars.” Since when should a sports car be suitable and
appropriate? That more describes the image of a conservative sedan. Or how
about this one - “Obtainable exotic.” Seems to me being
unobtainable is an essential criteria of being exotic. The design language
included phrases like “subtractive mass” and “vibrant
clarity.” Huh? Hey, I’ve got one: the complex, swoopy lines of
both cars they claim to be aerodynamically efficient. I’d call it
“aerodynamic chaos.”

CONCEPT CAR ONLY ITS DESIGNERS COULD LOVE

Nissan Bevel – One in a
series of playful concept vehicles by Nissan, this one is designed for a
handyman with lots of features to accommodate his problem. The only problem
is that it is uuuuugly, with a poochy-mouth grille and rounded corners that
imply a rough-sanded 2X4. I could have done without that one.

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE SHOW

The Toyota Stand – Who-da-thunk!
Nearly half the Toyota stand is dedicated to trucks, mostly the new Tundra
in all its iterations – a reflection, I suppose, of the
company’s full court press in pursuit of leadership in the US light
truck market. A new plant in Texas, a full four-door cab, second-to-none
towing capacity – look out GM, Ford and Dodge Ram. Toyota’s
award-winning, bread-and-butter sedan, Camry, was barely in evidence.

ORPHAN OF THE SHOW

At the far end of the Ford complex of stands is
Lincoln. By the isle is the eye-catching concept MKR. At the back, near the
exit door, a few steps from a hidden bathroom, behind two panels that
nearly hide it entirely is Lincoln’s long-in-the-tooth Town Car.
Sure, it will be going away sometime soon, but it’s still the
marque’s flag-ship and the most popular limo ride. Seems like a shame
to hide it like that.

So, that’s the 2007 show. My work table is piled high with press
kits that need to be rummaged through at a more leisurely pace than I have
time for now. So I’ll be sorting through them for the next couple of
months, and I’ll let you know as I come upon interesting or
surprising tidbits.

In the meantime, be assured that the automobile business and all those
products that promote our personal mobility are advancing at an ever more
intensive pace. To those who say they all look alike, I say,
“bunk!”

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